how does this play into the fiscal cliff negotiations? >> well, i think the president can and will, i'm sure, make the case that the economy is now clearly headed in the right direction. that the lowering of the unemployment number is not an aberration nor was it a political trick that occurred during the campaign that some had charged. so the president can say, okay, we need to resolve this fiscal cliff issue. or else we're going to start heading in the wrong direction. don't interrupt the recovery that we're having. and if you do, congress, it will be your fault. >> and then as far as the job approval numbers for the president, and this is going to play into this leverage negotiation, as well. how is the president handling his job as president. this is an average of the major polls. 53% approve of the job he's doing. 43% disapproved. that's a three-year high. >> and our monitor poll out this week. 53% approval. and the widest gap we've had on whether people prefer him or republicans. he has a stronger hand in this debate, partially beca